1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a connector for fluid conduit, including tubing or hose, and more particularly to a connector having a port by which the luer of a syringe may take samples of fluid passing though the connector.
2. Background Art
A “luer” connector is a feature found on many syringes that facilitates a leak-free connection being made between the needle hub and a corresponding fitting. For example, a health care provider may purchase syringes and hypodermic needles separately. It is often the case that the hypodermic needle will include a female adaptor coupled thereto for mating with a syringe. This female adaptor slides over a male needle hub. To ensure that a leak-free seal is formed, a luer connector may be disposed about the needle hub. The luer connector generally looks something like a cylinder disposed about the needle hub. The luer connector may include a locking mechanism, such as threads, or may be a “slip” luer without locking mechanisms.
In fluid collection or extraction procedures, such as those involving an intravenous device or a catheter, it is often necessary to take a sample of the fluid passing through the fluid conduit, which is often rubber tubing or a similar material. This can be accomplished by coupling a hypodermic needle to a syringe and inserting the needle into the tubing to draw the sample. This process is problematic, however, in that some fluid conduit can be quite narrow, which makes it easy to pass the hypodermic needle completely through the conduit.
There is thus a need for an improved device suited for facilitating sampling of fluids from fluid conduit that is simple to manufacture, cost effective, and reliable.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.